Chatter

Volume 65 No. 2 February 2019

Editor’s Notes

Sorry for the delay in providing ordering details for the items related to the club’s centennial year, including: medal, August dinner, and special Red Book. We are waiting for final prices for all items, so that we would issue only one order form.

Paul Hybert, editor

Minutes of the 1200th Meeting

The 1200th meeting of the Chicago Coin Club was held Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at the Chicago Bar Association Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Downtown Chicago, with 42 members and 4 guests: Joe Cardillo, Amy Belair, Matt Smith, and a friend of Loren Miller.

Members began to gather at 5:30 PM for a social time and cash bar to honor the occasion. Appetizers and small sandwiches were available compliments of William Burd, Chicago Coin Company. Many members began sharing numismatic material, renewed acquaintances and watched a PowerPoint presentation created by Lyle Daly in continuous loop honoring Club history. A professional photographer was present capturing candid shots, plus photos of current Officers and Board, past-presidents and a large group photo.

President Rich Lipman called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM, delivered a welcome address, and spoke of the momentous occasion. He also called for separate rounds of applause of gratitude to Mark Wieclaw, Chair of the 100th Anniversary Committee, William Burd, generous host of the evening’s appetizers, and Lyle Daly who created the PowerPoint presentation running a continuous loop during the social hour. Jeffery Rosinia gave a toast to a Century of Numismatic Knowledge, to the members before us, to the members present and to the members who will follow.

The Minutes of December meeting were approved as published in the Chatter. Steve Zitowsky delivered the Treasurer’s Report showing December revenue of $4,001.00 and expenses of $3,259.84. A motion was passed approving the report. Steve then delivered the Treasurer’s Report for 2018 calendar year showing $13,729 in revenue and $8,911 in expenses. A motion was passed approving of this report.

The Secretary gave first reading to the membership application of Joe Cardillo. An announcement was delivered that the April 24-27, 2019 Central States Numismatic Association Convention would have less exhibit space than in previous years. Application forms were available and members were encouraged to submit their reservation soon.

Elongated 1919 Walking Liberty half dollar were donated by William Burd and given only to the 46 who attended the meeting. Extras are not offered for sale. Lyle Daly gave everyone a 2.25” x 3.5” brass plaque with photo chemically etched image.

Old Business:

Second Vice President John Riley individually introduced the 25 exhibitors who participated in the Mega-Show-and-Tell.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:52 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl F. Wolf, Secretary

Current Advertisers

CSNS Convention Chicago Coin Company
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Show and Tell

Items shown at our January 9, 2019 meeting,
reported by John Riley.

  1. John Riley showed a circulated 1852 $1 Liberty gold coin designed by James Longacre that has been in his family since the 1930s. His maternal grandfather Crim helped a family move from one small Kentucky town to another in about 1932 (he had a Model T truck), and the coin was his compensation. The existance of the tiny piece is a marvel to have survived the Great Depression for a farm family in rural KY and all of the life struggles that followed — a government recall on gold, a world war, school lunches to buy, tuitions to pay, and children and grandchildren to support. Kept in tissue paper in a small iron bank, the little coin would inspire an 8-year old child to start collecting coins in 1972.
  2. Deven Kane showed two coins:
    1. His first gold coin was purchased from a seller in Chile who disappeared from eBay the next day. Deven received the piece in the mail, and a surface analysis showed 56% gold and 29.5% silver content — which is typical for this gold dinar of the Kushan Empire (India), circa AD 350-375, the first Indian dynasty to make gold coins. King Kipunada is shown standing, sacrificing over an altar, on one side, while goddess Ardoxsho is shown seated on the other side.
    2. A lovely stephanophoric type tetradrachm of Aiolis, with the head of Amazon Kyme, from after 190 BC is a favorite acquisition. The other side shows a prancing horse with a one-handled cup below the raised foreleg, all within a laurel wreath. Struck on a large flan in a fine style, this EF coin is from Agora Auctions. Deven noted that every so often you fall in love with with a coin from the protrait to the attitude and “moxie” that the depicted horse exhibits. And then you get carried away in the bidding!
  3. Although he had accumulated many US coins over the years, Lyle Daly told us that but it was not until sitting next to Jeff Rosinia while working at Chase in the late 1990s that he considered studying coins. As a result of that association he has reaped the benefit of knowledge and friendship in the club for 20 years.
    1. Lyle’s “Genesis” coin, an 1861 English Penny from the collection of his grandfather, Daniel C Daly. Beholding such an old and unusual coin was a significant early memory as a child!
    2. A high grade 1787 Fugio cent, the so called Franklin issue due to the Franklin-inspired ”Mind Your Business” motto and sundial. (Lyle recalled receiving a Red Book from his mother in 1963, and being drawn to the prominently placed early U.S. colonial coinage series.)
    3. A lovely high grade 1912 Barber quarter dollar acquired from longtime CCC member Chet Poderski in May, 2002. Many of the members fondly remembered Chet selling items at our meetings.
    4. An 1899 Series Hunkpapa $5 Silver Certificate acquired at the Illinois Numismatic Association show from Bruno Repka in September 2002.
  4. Bob Leonard showed two items:
    1. The first printing of the first edition (1947, published 1946) of the “Red Book,” A Guide Book of United States Coins by R.S. Yeoman, autographed by R.S. Yeoman in the 1980s at Bob’s request, in ballpoint. The first printing can be distinguished by “the scarcity of this date” on p. 135, corrected in the second printing to “the scarcity of 1903 O.”
    2. The first coin illustrated in the first Red Book: the Sommer Islands Shilling, ex Loye L. Lauder Collection (William Doyle Galleries auction, Dec. 15, 1983, lot 112).
  5. Mark Wieclaw showed two coins.
    1. An Athenian tetradrachm, circa 5th century BC — Mark’s favorite coin. A vertical test cut in the body of the owl on the reverse is not very distracting, and it simplifies tracking this coin. This actual piece appeared twice in print: in the book Abe Kosoff Remembers, and in Kosoff’s column in the August, 1967 Coin World, where he wrote about this coin and design.
    2. While in Las Vegas in 1975, his parents bought a souvenir — an 1899 Indian Head cent. This was his first coin from before 1900 and, for awhile, he did not believe he would ever have another coin that old. Mark joined the CCC around its 800th meeting, and he mentioned the learning, teaching, and many friendship opportunities the club has provided to him over the years.
  6. Melissa Gumm showed three of her favorite items.
    1. The Nathan Eglit book Columbiana, The Medallic History of Christopher Columbus And The Columbian Exposition of 1893, with history and information on almost 600 tokens and medals of the great fair.
    2. An aluminum token from the fair featuring the Michigan Logging Company’s Logging Camp and depicting a ”Champion Load of Logs” on a horse-drawn wagon.
    3. A U.S. Isabella 25-cent piece from the Columbian Expo. Melissa talked about the design of this coin and the efforts by the Board of Lady Managers to have this coin offered as a souvenir of the festival.
  7. Robert Kulys showed two Swedish pieces acquired after returning from a month-long study visit to Scandinavia:
    1. A large 1897 two Kronor of Oscar II in silver, commemorating the 25th anniversary of reign.
    2. An 1803 ¼ Skilling of King Gustav IV Adolf, in copper. The simple design is very elegant.
  8. Carl Wolf brought 2 walrus tusks estimated to be 150+ years old. He told the story of Greenland Settlements in 1327 AD using 520 tusks to pay six years of taxes to the King of Norway. The Catholic Church levied on the settlements, in 1274 AD and 1311-12 AD, a tithe payable “in kind” (i.e. walrus tusks) to be converted by Flemish merchants into silver and gold for easy shipment to Rome to fund their Crusades. The indigenous people of Alaska and Canada brought walrus tusks into Hudson Bay Company where every store treated them as money.
  9. Jim Flannery showed two items:
    1. A “Hawaii” overprinted $20 bill from 1942, obtained in circulation while Jim worked at a bank in the early 1970s — it whetted his appetite for researching and collecting, and Jim explained how the notes were designed to be immediately devalued in the event the Hawaiian Islands fell during WWII.
    2. A high grade and scarce 1909-S Lincoln cent with “V.D.B.” designer initials, which was obtained via a sentimental monetary gift from his late mother to spend “however he wished.” The coin was redesigned without the designer’s initials after a scant 484,000 examples were released from the San Francisco mint — a result of the public outcry over their bold prominence.
  10. Raymond Dagenais provided a brief presentation on the similarities and differences of Flowing Hair Half Dollars of 1794-95. The dies were made by hand, punching in each letter, digit, star, and device, with variations in relative positioning. On the obverse, typical variety diagnostics involve the relative positioning of a star point to either a hair curl, bust tip, or dentils. On the reverse, the number and locations of berries within the wreath are typically used to identify the varieties. Half dollars were the most abundantly made silver coins by the early U.S. mint.
  11. Sharon Blocker showed two personal treasures.
    1. A beautifully framed C.C.C. Presidential Award presented to her by Carl Wolf on December 11, 2002 during his tenure as President of the Club.
    2. A recent Numismatic News article in which member Cliff Mishler features her participation in the Illinois Numismatic Association’s Fall show. Cliff had chatted with Sharon at her table where she was selling some items, including a souvenir card (pictured in the article) issued years ago by a Savings and Loan, showing types of 20th century U.S. nickels. Originally acquired with her husband Kevin, who had worked as a bank examiner for the U.S. government, this little item found a new home.
  12. James Davis showed some U.S. cents.
    1. Two 1998 Lincoln cent varieties resulting from mixing proof and circulation strike dies. On the reverse: the AM letters of “America&rdquo are close on the proof die while farther apart on the dies for circulating coins. Both coins were nice circulation finds.
    2. An early U.S. large cent, dateless (180_, maybe 1802) and in “Fair” condition. James noted that low grade specimens are now receiving more popularity due to “lowball” condition encapsulation and increased competion for set completion.
  13. Richard Hamilton showed examples of Railroad Bonds, beautifully and ornately engraved by the American Banknote Company, with coupons still attached.
    1. The Escanaba Iron Mountain and Western Railroad Coupon Bond ($1000 in shares), printed 1890.
    2. A mortgage loan Coupon Bond of The Blue Ridge Railroad ($1000), printed 1852 and paying 7%.
    3. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Coupon Bond ($5000), printed 1917.
  14. Dale Lukanich showed a hometown favorite — an Illinois and Michigan Canal $10 “broken banknote” issued by the Branch State Bank at Chicago. Significant local history and familiar signer’s names are daily reminders as he lives close to the Canal. Dale explained the serial numbering methods of these rare local notes and the personalities behind the note’s signers.
  15. Marc Charles Ricard spoke on a favorite numismatic item — an exceeding rare original copy of the antiquarian book, A Medallic History of Napoleon Bonaparte translated from French by Ann Mudie Scargill, and printed in London in 1820. Marc described his passion for numismatic literature, an offshoot of his father’s fabled coin collecting legacy, and the 20+ year search for an original copy of the volume culminating with the exciting phone call he received from the European book specialist who was finally able to secure it for him.
  16. Elliott Krieter showed two of his favorite pieces of U.S. gold, beauties in their classic ”eye appeal” and as stores of value.
    1. A 1901-S Liberty Head $10 eagle, his oldest gold coin.
    2. A 2009 High Relief $20 double eagle (John Mercanti, engraver) recapturing the famous Augustus St Gaudens Standing Liberty design of 1907-33. This is his newest gold coin, delivered from the mint, and found on his doorstep one day when returning from work.
  17. Rich Lipman showed three of his favorite pieces U.S. currency.
    1. A 1764 three-pence Pennsylvania note, signed by Thomas Wharton on the front, and printed by B. Franklin and D. Hall in 1764 according to printing on the back. Rich elaborated on Benjamin Franklin’s early career as a printer in colonial Philadelphia, prior to the American Revolution.
    2. A $20 Compound Interest Treasury Note of the 1864 series. The back includes a table showing the future values payable by the government at various periods after issuance, from 6 months up to 3 years.
    3. A $10, series of 1873, First National Gold Bank note of Stockton, California, with a golden tint vignette of a pile of contemporary circulating U.S. gold coins on the back.
  18. David Gumm showed a favorite piece from his collecting passion of U.S. large cents: a 1799 one-cent (Sheldon variety 189) in Fine-12 condition. A very rare coin purchased in 1989, this well struck coin has porous surfaces. David noted the difficulty in finding one with a clear date.
  19. Paul Hybert showed two paper items.
    1. An 1810 printing of a letter from Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to the House of Representatives, containing a summary of U.S. Mint accounts for 1809. Imagine, one year of mint financials summarized on 6 printed pages: three pages for routing and introductory details, and three foldout pages for Statements A through C.
    2. An undated Bulletin #1 of the Chicago Numismatic Society, the predecessor of the Chicago Coin Club. Consisting of only a single small page from two club officers (the Censor and the Secretary), it gives the desired format of the coming year’s meetings, and gives a preview of the February meeting. The year of issue can be narrowed down because the February meeting will be on Friday, February 7. [A check of a calendar website shows 1902, 1908, and 1913 are possible — Editor]
  20. Bill Burd showed items for the 500th meeting of the club in September 1960, and stated that those medals have two things in common with our 100th Anniversary Medal: they both have an unusual shape and both depict the Chicago Water Tower.
    1. A set of the barrel-shaped medals issued for the 500th meeting, in gold, silver, and bronze.
    2. The only set of aluminum pieces with finishes imitating gold, silver, and bronze. This set was produced to show the membership; 50 orders were needed to proceed with production of the aluminum set, and when they could not obtain enough orders the set was dropped.
    3. The obverse die used to produce these medals. After striking the 500th meeting medals, the dies were placed in the Club archives. Three years later, the obverse die was auctioned off with the idea of using the proceeds to rework the reverse die for production of an award medal. Unfortunately it was never reworked and is missing from the archives. The obverse sold for $37.00 (approximately $300 in today’s money) to member Richard Peterson. Many years later Rich Hartzog purchased it from Peterson. In 2018 Bill purchased it from the Hartzog estate. Bill announced that he is donating it to the Club and placing it back into the archives.
  21. James McMenamin prefaced his presentation with the question, “Which country was the first to recognize the sovereignty of the young United States?” James provided a brief overview of 230 years of cooperative and trusted relations with MOROCCO. He then showed a high grade silver 1953 Moroccan 200-franc piece with bilingual legends, dual date, and a Pentagram design. This piece has it all for collectors: history, symbolism, value, and aesthetics.
  22. Olin Flores presented on a theme of currency and coins with similar designs, but different denominations or countries.
    1. A 2011 Serbian 20-dinara note with basically the identical design as on the 2000 Yugoslavian issue — the difference between the notes is the country’s name change, as a result of the Balkan Wars.
    2. Two Cap & Rays Mexican silver crowns, dated 1883 and 1903: this design type was used on the 8 reales coin from 1824 until 1897, with a similar design used on the 1 peso coin from 1898 until 1909.
  23. Young numismatist Jack Smith showed two of his favorite coins.
    1. A well-worn 1858 Canadian large cent minted in Britain — the first year of issue and notable as from before the 1867 Confederation.
    2. A circulated 1907 Indian one-cent coin that captivated his imagination for its age and simple idealized design.
  24. Scott McGowan started by reaching back in history.
    1. Membership cards from 1962, the year in which he was born, for his dad’s membership in the Syracuse (New York) Numismatic Association and Empire State Numismatic Association, along with articles about his presentations at meetings and for encouraging members to “bring coins to show,” and wooden nickels from the Syracuse Numismatic Association 30th anniversary in 1962.
    2. A recent acquisition for its historical context and its attractiveness: a U.S. 1799 Draped Bust dollar encapsulated as VF35 by PCGS. With this recent purchase, his collection now reaches back to the 18th century.
  25. Ricardo Sequeira showed some favorite pieces from his native Nicaragua.
    1. A collection of provisional cobs from soon after Nicaragua’s independence from Spain in 1821 became available in a recent Daniel Sedwick auction, and Ricardo was able to obtain an 1824 4 Reales imitation piece as well as a 1 Real and a ½ Real example.
    2. The catalog of the auction — a highly useful reference to the significant and necessarily crude silver pieces of the era.

Reminder: You can email to John a description of what you will show at a meeting, to give him a start on this write-up. Send it to johnrriley@yahoo.com.

Minutes of the 2019 Chicago ANA Convention Committee

January 15, 2019

The third meeting of the 2019 ANA Convention Committee met January 15, 2019 in the offices of Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., 77 W. Washington, 13th Floor, Downtown Chicago. Host Chairman Richard Lipman called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM with Mark Wieclaw, Sharon Blocker, Lyle Daly, Dale Lukanich, Dale Carlson, Harlan Berk, Elliott Krieter, Scott McGowan, John Kent, Richard Hamilton, Jeff Rosinia, and Carl Wolf in attendance.

The committee gave a warm round of applause and thanks to Harlan Berk for providing the meeting space, dinner, and parking.

Rich asked the Secretary to create a contact list for distribution among the committee members.

Volunteer Report by Carl Wolf:

Page Committee Report by John Kent:

Youth Committee Report by Scott McGowan & Richard Hamilton:

Money Talks Committee Report by Mark Wieclaw:

Report on the Club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration at the ANA Convention by Mark Wieclaw & Sharon Blocker:

General Reports from Rich Lipman, Chair:

The meeting was adjourned at 7:43 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carl Wolf, Secretary
Chicago Coin Club

Our 1201st Meeting

Date: February 13, 2019, This will kick off our second hundred years of meetings.
Time: 6:45 PM
Location:   Downtown Chicago
At the Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth Court, 3rd floor meeting room. Please remember the security measures at our meeting building: everyone must be prepared to show their photo-ID and register at the guard’s desk.
Featured Program: Dale Lukanich — The 2018 Canadian Viola Desmond Commemorative $10 Bill
The arrest and trial of Viola Desmond is credited with publicly bringing to light the racial segregation that existed in Canada. This is the third (in the modern era) in the series of commemorative bills issued by The Bank of Canada. This talk will not only discuss the life of Viola Desmond but also show the unique security features of this bill. The 2018 $10 Viola Desmond bill has been nominated for Bank Note of the Year by the International Bank Note Society.

Important Dates

Unless stated otherwise, our regular monthly CCC Meeting is in downtown Chicago on the second Wednesday of the month; the starting time is 6:45PM.

February 13 CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - Dale Lukanich on The 2018 Canadian Viola Desmond Commemorative $10 Bill
March 13 CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - to be announced
March 14-16 PCDA National Currency and Coin Convention at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare, 5550 North River Road, Rosemont, IL. Admission is $5 good from 1pm on Thursday through Saturday. Details at http://www.pcdaonline.com
March 16 CCC Meeting - 1pm at the PCDA National Currency and Coin Convention, which is held at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare, 5550 North River Road, Rosemont, IL. No admission charge for our meeting.
Featured Speaker - to be announced
March 28-30 ANA’s National Money Show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Details at http://www.money.org/NationalMoneyShow
April 10 CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - to be announced
April 25-27 80th Anniversary Convention of the Central States Numismatic Society at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center, 1551 North Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, IL. There is a $5 per day admission charge, but admission is free for CSNS Life Members. For details, refer to their new website, https://www.centralstatesnumismaticsociety.org/
April 27 CCC Meeting - 1pm at the CSNS Convention, which is held at the Schaumburg Convention Center. No admission charge for our meeting.
Featured Speaker - to be announced
May 8 CCC Meeting - Featured Speaker - to be announced

Chatter Matter

http://www.ChicagoCoinClub.org/

Contacting Your Editor / Chatter Delivery Option

chatter_editor@yahoo.com

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Club Officers

Elected positions:
Richard Lipman- President
Lyle Daly- First V.P.
John Riley- Second V.P.
William Burd- Archivist
Directors:Melissa Gumm
Deven Kane
Dale Lukanich
Mark Wieclaw
Appointed positions:
Elliott Krieter- Immediate Past President
Carl Wolf- Secretary
Steve Zitowsky- Treasurer
Paul Hybert- Chatter Editor, webmaster
Jeffrey Rosinia- ANA Club Representative

Correspondence

All correspondence pertaining to Club matters should be addressed to the Secretary and mailed to:
CHICAGO COIN CLUB
P.O. Box 2301
CHICAGO, IL 60690
Payments to the Club, including membership dues, can be addressed to the Treasurer and mailed to the above address.

Payments

Renewing Members Annual dues are $20 a year ($10 for Junior, under 18). Annual Membership expires December 31 of the year through which paid. Cash, check, or money order are acceptable (USD only please). We do not accept PayPal. Email your questions to Treasurer.ChicagoCoinClub@GMail.com Members can pay the Club electronically with Zelle™ using their Android or Apple smart phone. JP Morgan Chase customers can send payments to the Club via Quick Pay. To see if your Bank or Credit Union is part of the Zelle™ Payments Network, go to https://www.zellepay.com Please read all rules and requirements carefully.

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